This weekend, I will be joining 30 other Woodmonters for a mission trip to Guatemala. This is the first family trip that we have ever offered to that country. Please keep our group in your prayers in the coming days. I am excited to show Megan and my kids what Woodmont has accomplished in that country. We have now funded and constructed 67 houses and we have sponsored around 375 children and seniors giving them a chance to go to school, get an education, and have some basic necessities for life. I......

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This Thursday night, February 29, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Paul Christian Academy, Woodmont is co-sponsoring a special event geared for parents called “Parenting in the Digital Age.” Jason and Lisa Frost, co-founders of Wired Human, will give a special presentation on this topic and that will be followed by a discussion panel that I will be participating in with my friend and St. Paul Head of School Will Norton. The digital age has brought a whole new set of challenges to those of us who are parents of children and youth. We all......

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What difference does having faith make in your life? Can you articulate or explain it? What does it mean to live in faith? Many do not know how to answer these questions. Profound misunderstandings exist in our culture regarding God and what it means to believe. At its very core, this question lies at the heart of all theology, a field that will never be exhausted or mastered. Having faith in God does not mean that everything in life will work out just the way we plan. It does not mean that......

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Tomorrow, we will enter the season of Lent which is the forty-day period leading up to Easter (not including Sundays). Easter comes early, on March 31 this year. Some of you are familiar with Lent, others of you may not be depending on the tradition from which you come, but Lent is a time of spiritual growth, a time of soul searching, a time of introspection – looking within our own hearts. Lent reminds us of the time that Jesus spent alone in the wilderness where he fasted and prayed for 40 days and overcame......

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Lent begins early this year. Ash Wednesday is next week, February 14th, Valentine’s Day. (Easter falls on Sunday, March 31st.) We will have a dinner at 5:30 p.m. and a worship service at 6:30 p.m. in our sanctuary. Mike Glenn will be bringing our message. During Lent, we will move ahead from the Sermon on the Mount and into the life and ministry of Jesus – his teachings, healings, miracles, and parables. We will be talking about the many ways that he challenges us, heals us, and continues to change our hearts......

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The presidential election season is well underway. Iowa has already voted and New Hampshire is voting today. I invite you to come join us on Wednesday, Feb. 7, at 6:15 PM as Samar Ali returns to share some updated insight on what is happening in Gaza, Ukraine, and with immigration. Jonathan Haidt’s classic book The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion is worth reading. Haidt deals with moral foundations, political ideology, and he has always had his finger on the pulse of these issues. Those of us......

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This has been quite a winter storm this week bringing some frigid temperatures! On Monday night, January 15, the Woodmont Elders met on Zoom because of the road conditions. We talked about church leadership, and I specifically asked them what qualities they look for when nominating church leaders. A few keywords were mentioned – commitment, character, presence, teachability, faithfulness, being a good listener, and having a servant’s heart. Nominations are still open until January 31 for Chair-Elect (1), Board Member (3), Elder (7), and Deacon (30), and you can click here to......

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I try to begin each new year with two basic questions. First, what lessons did you learn in 2023 based on your experiences? Second, what are your top three priorities as we begin 2024? The new year is a time to start over, wipe the slate clean, leave the past behind, and reaffirm our priorities in life. Socrates once reminded us that “the unexamined life is not worth living.” Here are a few key principles as we begin 2024. 1) Name your top priorities and align your time and resources with them.......

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Happy New Year and welcome to 2024! I like to begin the new year with two questions: 1. What did you learn in 2023? How did you grow? 2. What are your main priorities or goals as we begin 2024? On Wednesday night, Jan. 10, Jay and I will lead a special session in the chapel at 6:15 PM called “How to Grow in 2024.” Dinner will be served at 5:30 PM in Drowota Hall and all are welcome. Board members, elders, and deacons are requested to attend this gathering as we......

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Christmas Eve is the holiest night of the year as we prepare to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ – the light that shines in the darkness. This is when our preparation all comes together for Christmas. Christmas Eve falls on a Sunday so we are making a few minor adjustments to the schedule this year. We will have two morning services at 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. where we light the fourth candle on the Advent wreath, the candle of love. No Bridge service on Christmas Eve (back on Dec. 31).......

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